The present invention relates to a shoe, particularly intended for rehabilitation purposes, having an upper portion with a slit opening through which an insert is or may be placed into the shoe upper.
A comparable shoe designed as a ski boot, is disclosed in Swiss Pat. No. 359,996, wherein, in the upper of the shoe, on both sides behind the ankles, there is formed a vertical pocket or guide member, open at the top, into which displaceable reinforcing stays can be vertically inserted. The openings, respectively, are covered by lateral wing portions which are connected with each other by a back drawstring member which provides stiffening support to the torsal joint and better conformance of the shoe to the foot.
It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a shoe of the type described above, that is designed in such a manner that the shoe can be better adapted to various types of foot shapes. Moreover, it is a particular objective of the invention to enable a plaster cast, or other support cast, employed for foot injury or foot surgery, for instance in cases of intercapsular injury of the ligaments, or of the ankle, to be removed after a short time, or that the need for such a cast can be eliminated altogether.
The above objectives are achieved, in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, by utilizing at least one insert of a flexible (resilient) material and plate-like configuration, at least one side of which has a surface that, along with a facing inner surface of the shoe upper material, provides sufficient friction to prevent displacement of the insert while the shoe is worn. Slit openings permit inserts of varying sizes, adapted to the requirements at hand, to be easily inserted between the lining and the upper material of the shoe upper, which inserts do not require additional fastening means while the shoe is worn. Accordingly, no pockets or guide portions, specifically conforming to the inserts are, necessary, and even a single slit opening is sufficient to provide a support for the various portions of the foot, particularly portions of the ankle, with a number of correspondingly adapted inserts.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.